How to Resolve Windows Update Problems

If you are a Windows 10 users, you might be constantly receiving updates, some big and some small, usually without a hitch. However, in some cases few problems might arise like it failed download and installation problem. When such problems arise, the download getting stuck, the update refusing to install, or the system being caught up in a restart loop.

Before beginning any troubleshooting steps, ensure that there’s definitely a problem with Windows Update. This will sound silly if your update refuses to download or gets stuck in a reboot loop — in these scenarios there’s definitely a problem, so try the help below. But if you’re looking at a progress bar of the download that appears to be stuck, give it some time, especially if you’re on a Wi-Fi connection.

windows update stuck

Windows Update Troubleshooter

This is the first step that you should take. The Windows Update Troubleshooter will automatically run a scan, will detect and resolve the problems that have arisen due to Windows Update. Most of the times, it works. When your problem is said to be resolved by Windows Update Troubleshooter, close it and then reboot your computer to check the issue again.

Clear Updates Download Folder

If your download is getting stuck during download or refuses to install, it might be that something went wrong with the file itself. Clearing the folder where all of the update files are stored will force Windows Update to download afresh, which can help resolve any problems.

 First, press Windows key + R to open Run.      Input C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download and click OK to launch to the folder. Now you need to delete everything within the folder, but do not delete the folder itself. To do so, press CTRL + A to select everything and then press Delete to remove the files.

updates download folder

Disable Your Anti-virus

Normally, your anti-virus software shouldn’t interfere with the update process, but there have been reports that temporarily disabling it can solve problems. Each anti-virus will have its own method of disabling it, so load it up and turn it off. If you can’t see where to do this, explore the Settings or Options area. Alternatively, right-click the icon in your system tray and you may find the option to disable it there.

Disconnect Drives and VPNs

Try to disconnect all the DVD drive and SD card reader from your computer. Safely remove them by disabling them. Also, disable the VPN services if you receive errors like 0x80200056 and 0x800F0922.

Use the Media Creation Tool

If none of the above methods have worked, you should give Media Creation Tool a try. Media Creation Tool will create an installation file of Windows 10 and will try to upgrade by using a different method. Before you do this, it advised that you create a backup of all the critical files and folders. Follow the steps given below to use the Media Creation Tool. Step 1: Go to Microsoft’s ‘Get Windows 10′ page. Step 2: Click on “Download tool now’ tab. Step 3: Save the file and then open it. Step 4: Accept the terms and conditions. Step 5: Click on ‘Upgrade this PC now’ and then click on ‘Next’. Step 6: Click on ‘Install’.

How to Speed up Your Web Browser

Today’s sites  contain video, audio, interactive elements, and stacks of images. Over time, under the weight of all that content, your browser can slow down. But it doesn’t have to be like this. With a bit of timely maintenance and tidying up, you can ensure your browsing stays speedier for longer. This advice applies across all the major desktop browsers.

Browser booster

Remove unused extensions

Just as too many unneeded apps will slow down your computer, too many plug-ins and extensions can do the same to your browser. They take up system resources and can even cause bugs and crashes.

In Google Chrome, the Extensions option is under the More tools heading on the main app menu. In Firefox, choose Add-ons from the main app menu. In Opera, select Extensions from the main app menu. Extensions are less common in the default browsers from Apple and Microsoft but in Safari, open up Preferences from the Safari menu and click Extensions. In Edge, click Extensions from the main app menu to see what’s installed

Clear out the cache and cookies

As you visit the web, your browser keeps a certain number of files on disk, known as the cache, to speed up your browsing experience. The next time you visit a site, the cached files are already present, so your browser only needs to download the new bits from the web. This means less time waiting, and in general, it’s going to speed up rather than slow down your browsing.

In Google Chrome, head to Settings, then pick Show advanced settings, and then Clear browsing data. In Firefox, you can find the setting under Options, then Advanced and Network. For Opera, choose Settings then Privacy & security, and click Clear browsing data. In Microsoft Edge, open Settings, then click the Choose what to clear button under Clear browsing data. The process is a little bit more involved in Safari: You need to open Preferences from the Safari menu, then click Advanced and tick the box marked Show Develop menu in menu bar. Finally, open up the Develop menu and choose Empty Caches.

Uninstall and reinstall your browser

Uninstalling and reinstalling your browser is the best approach for stopping browser slowdowns. Once you’ve gotten rid of the old version of your favorite browser, you can then grab its latest update from the web. As well as clearing up any corrupted data caches and unneeded extensions, this will also make sure that you’re running the most up-to-date version of the software, another important factor in keeping your browser running smoothly. Staying up to date is so vital in fixing bugs and blocking security threats that modern browsers typically download updates automatically. But to cover all your bases, it’s worth running the occasional update manually.

 Manage your tabs

Clearing out behind-the-scenes clutter isn’t the only way to speed up your web experience. Managing your open tabs more efficiently will also help you browse faster. The more tabs you have open, the slower your browser is going to run.

 

Best Free Download Managers

Download managers are special programs and browser extensions that help keep large downloads downloading as they should and simultaneous ones organized. Here are several completely free download managers and music downloaders that you’ll like:

Free Download Manager 

Free Download Manager is a powerful, easy-to-use and absolutely free download accelerator and manager. Moreover, FDM is 100% safe, open-source software distributed under GPL license.
Free Download Manager can boost all your downloads up to 10 times, process media files of various popular formats, drag&drop URLs right from a web browser as well as simultaneously download multiple files

Internet Download Manager

Internet Download Manager is a tool to increase download speeds by up to 5 times, resume and schedule downloads. Comprehensive error recovery and resume capability will restart broken or interrupted downloads due to lost connections, network problems, computer shutdowns, or unexpected power outages.

EagleGet

EagleGet is a free all-in-one download manager; it supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, MMS and RTSP protocol as well as popular online video websites. EagleGet can be integrated to Chrome, IE, Firefox, Opera, and uses multi-threaded technology to boost downloads.

Screenshot of EagleGet

Download Accelerator Plus

Download Accelerator Plus (DAP) 10 is Speedbit’s fastest and most comprehensive download accelerator to date. Redesigned and rebuilt from top to bottom, the new DAP 10 platform consists of the core DAP acceleration engine, now streamlined and optimized for powerful efficiency and ease of use. 

Screenshot of Download Accelerator Plus (DAP) in Windows 8

JDownloader

JDownloader is a free, open-source download management tool with a huge community of developers that makes downloading as easy and fast as it should be. Users can start, stop or pause downloads, set bandwith limitations, auto-extract archives and much more. It’s an easy-to-extend framework that can save hours of your valuable time.

Screenshot of JDownloader 2 in Windows 8

How to Clean and Speed up Your Windows Computer

Over time, computers slow down. Of course aging hardware plays a part, but for most people, a more common cause is poor operating system maintenanceHere’s the ultimate checklist for cleaning your Windows computer.

Delete Unused Software

The first step is removing all the old software you no longer use. If you’re not a “diligent deleter,” you’ll be amazed at how much unnecessary stuff you have installed on your machine.

To see all the apps on your computer, go to Start > Settings > Apps > Apps and features. Scroll down the list and click Uninstall on anything you don’t need.

Clearly, you need to exercise a touch of caution. Don’t just get rid of stuff you don’t recognize — run a Google search first to ensure it’s safe to delete!

Clean up the Disk

To run Disk Cleanup, either type the program’s name in the Start Menu or go to Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Disk Cleanup.

The best Disk Cleanup software I’ve ever use are Ccleaner and Glary Disk Cleaner.

CCleaner is the number-one tool for cleaning your PC. It protects your privacy and makes your computer faster and more secure!

Glary Disk Cleaner is a freeware with registry and disk cleaning, privacy protection, performance accelerator and amazing multifunctional tools. It can fix dogged registry errors, wipe off clutters, optimize internet speed, safeguard confidential files and maintain maximum performance.

Run Antivirus Software

You should also run your antivirus software. One of the most common causes of slow computers is viruses. There are many good antivirus software, like Malwarebytes, rather than focusing on viruses, its primary goal is protecting users against the latest trojans, backdoors, adware, and spyware.

Defragment the Hard Drive

In Windows 10, the operating system runs disk defragmentation when it senses it is required. However, as we’re doing a thorough clean of your computer, it would be remiss not to run it manually.

You can find the Defragment and Optimize Drives tool by running a search or by going to Control Panel > Administrative Tools.

Optimize Windows Drivers

Refresh Your Startup List

Any seasoned Windows user knows that the operating system lags way behind macOS, Chrome OS, and Linux when it comes to boot times. Typically, the problem is caused by the number of programs Windows tries to launch when it first starts. The majority of them are unnecessary.

Windows Task Manager Start-up Items

To clean your startup list, press Ctrl + Alt + Delete and select Task Manager. On the new window, click More Details, then choose the Startup tab at the top of the screen.

You should now be looking at all the apps Windows tries to run at boot. To disable an app, highlight the appropriate row and click Disable.

Clean the AppData Folder

When you uninstall an app, you’ll often find remnants of its former presence dotted around your machine. One of the most common locations is the AppData folder.

By default, the folder is hidden. You can find it at C:\Users\[Username]\AppData or by typing %AppData% into Windows search.

Remove Old Program Files

The other place you’ll often find trace elements of old apps’ files is in the Program Files folders.

On most machines, there are two Program Files folders. You can find them at C:\Program Filesand C:\Program Files (x86).

As with the AppData folder, work through the contents of each folder carefully and delete any files and folders that are no longer in use.

Clean the Registry

Registry Repair is the most efficient registry cleaning software to fix registry problems. It works with all Windows Operating Systems and scans Windows Registry quickly with comprehensive analysis.

The Best System Utilities for Windows

Everything needs a good clean up from time to time, so the same is true of computers. Here we’ve put together a small collection of what we think are the best system utilities that promise to clean up your computer and improve performance.

Glary Utilities

Glary Utilities is a freeware with registry and disk cleaning, privacy protection, performance accelerator and amazing multi-functional tools. It can fix dogged registry errors, wipe off clutters, optimize internet speed, safeguard confidential files and maintain maximum performance.

It is designed for both novice and professionals. User-friendly interface shows clear & detailed directions. For novice, all work can be done with just 1 or 2 clicks, while for professionals, abundant options are available.

Photo

CCleaner

CCleaner, created by Piriform will enhance your system by removing cookies, temporary files and unused data. It features a Startup Cleaner, which will speed up your PC start up time and a Registry Cleaner, which helps to solve any problems with system freezes, error messages and crashes.

Image result for ccleaner

SlimCleaner

SlimCleaner Free is the world’s first software that lets you clean and optimize Windows systems using a crowd-sourced approach. Software uses aggregated-cloud feedback to recommend optimal settings for programs, start-ups and services.

What makes SlimCleaner stand out from the crowd is that it places no restrictions on how many PCs you can use it on. You can even run it from a USB drive and take from PC to PC, without the need to re-install it every time.

SlimCleaner

WinUtilities

WinUtilities has a clean and simple user interface that can be customized with the tools you want and need. The Task Scheduler is a very useful feature because it allows you to set it to run automatically, great if you have a bad memory or just can’t be bothered to manually run a task.

WinUtilities

Software Update Pro

Software Update Pro is a quality software client designed to inform you of available software updates for your computer. Free, small, easy-to-use and highly functional with intuitive interface. Provides notifications and information on available software update. Supported by a growing software library. No personal information leakage.

Photo